Kate Beckinsale is proud of 'elegant' split

Kate Beckinsale thinks her split from Michael Sheen was "elegant" because they agreed to put their daughter first.

The 'Contraband' star's eight-year relationship with the actor ended in 2003 and she then embarked on a relationship Len Wiseman - the director of 'Underworld' in which the former couple both starred.

Kate is proud that 12-year-old Lily has been relatively unscathed by her parents' separation and she insists that is down to the behavior of herself, Michael and Len.

She told Manhattan magazine: "We all realized we were shaped; but our daughter was not and that we had a communal goal to keep her well, to help her to flourish, and I think it's very elegant that nobody lost sight of that, ever."

Kate has previously said she feels "lucky" that her split from 'Frost/Nixon' star Michael was amicable and she feels lucky to still have him in her life.

She has said: "We were very lucky in that we didn't have an acrimonious split. We are still very close and our daughter sees us around each other. I love him dearly - I would miss him dreadfully if he wasn't in my life."